Residential overnight trips
Our overnight stays offer the perfect mix of fun, outdoor learning and bonding moments. With gold-standard facilities, beautiful surroundings and lots of activities, Woodrow has it all!
A home away from home
Woodrow High House is a Grade II listed manor house situated within 26 acres. The centre has 136 beds, perfect for schools and youth groups all year round. It also provides a purpose-built leisure centre with a warm indoor swimming pool. Facilities include a large campsite area, a multi-purpose sports hall, a 3G floodlit astro turf pitch, and an off-road mountain bike cycle circuit. We ensure that you feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Whether it’s the cosy accommodation or the wide range of activities, you’ll find everything you need to create lasting memories with your group.
Tailored to your group’s needs
We create custom programmes to cater to all types of schools or youth organisations, including those for young people with additional needs. We take pride in delivering outcome-focused experiences. Once you arrive, you can decide how much or how little you want us to be involved. The most popular residential experience for schools is a full outdoor adventure activity programme.
Explore all year round
We welcome groups year-round, offering everything from short residentials to longer stays across all seasons. Our winter residentials provide a unique chance for young people to develop their skills in exciting, challenging environments at a fraction of the usual cost. No matter the season, there’s always something thrilling to discover.
Inclusivity and safety are our priority
Woodrow is a fully inclusive centre. For over 40 years, we’ve supported children and young people to achieve personal goals, have incredible experiences and spend time away from home in a different living environment. Before you arrive, our team will discuss the specific needs of your group, and learn more about their objectives. We then create you a perfectly pitched programme of activities.
“Woodrow has a family feel to it… the environment allows the children to be independent.”
St Mary’s Primary School
Activities you’ll love
High Ropes
Archery
Bushcraft
Your forest retreat
Woodrow offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. Whether you’re enjoying the peaceful surroundings or getting stuck into activities, you’ll leave feeling refreshed.
A typical day at Woodrow
A typical day starts with breakfast at 8am. From 8:45 am until 12pm, you will participate in your first two activities of the day. Each activity lasts an hour and a half, so don’t forget to bring a drink! Lunch is at 12:15 pm, followed by more activities from 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm. Dinner is at 5:15 pm, and then from 7pm until 9pm, you’ll enjoy campfires, night walks with our instructors, or movie nights with your leaders.
Residential FAQs
Whether you’re a teacher planning your first trip or a returning group, we’ve got all the info you need to make your stay at Woodrow an unforgettable experience. If you have any questions that aren’t covered here, don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re always happy to help!
Your safety is our priority. Our centre is regularly inspected and all our activities are operated in accordance with strict operating standards that define the minimum requirements for staff qualifications, supervision arrangements, equipment, facilities and appropriate clothing. All activities have a defined session plan and all instructors are regularly observed to make sure they’re complying with our safety standards and delivering a quality experience to our visitors. We’ve risk assessed all our activities and these are updated and reviewed constantly to reflect any changes. Woodrow High House has been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. We have a Duty Instructor on hand 24 hours a day to deal with any problems you might have while you’re staying with us. There’s always a Duty Manager on call and ready to help too.
Yes you can. Your group can make use of all our wonderful facilities throughout your stay, including timetabled use of the swimming pool (as a single activity session), sports hall and 3G floodlit astroturf pitch. If you require exclusive use of these facilities, this will need to be discussed at the booking stage.
Yes of course, we’d be pleased to welcome you to Woodrow! If you’re a teacher, youth leader or booking lead, please send an email to hellowoodrow@londonyouth.org and we’ll arrange a convenient time for you to visit. If you’re a parent or young person, do take a look at our virtual tour.
The last activity finishes at approximately 9pm. This is when we handover to the group leader who will make the group aware of when they expect “lights out”. Similarly, the group leader will work with the children to arrange the rooming.
You can download all of these documents, and more, on our Useful Downloads page.
Absolutely. We have lots of groups stay with us who run their own programme entirely. They make good use of the indoor break-out spaces and sports hall facility. We can provide your group with projectors, screens and flip-chart stands too. If you have any specific requests, please do get in touch to discuss your requirements by emailing hellowoodrow@londonyouth.org or use the form on our Contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Yes. If staying residentially, we will provide meals commencing from your first evening until lunch on your departure day. Please ensure packed lunches are healthy and nut-free, and in a disposable bag.
Yes. Every group is assigned a “lounge” area which can be used to run self-led classroom based sessions, or for that much needed downtime after a busy day outside. If you need more than one break-out space, please discuss this at the booking stage with a member of the team.
Yes, we make sure everyone can enjoy their stay. You can find out more on our Accessibility page.
Keeping you safe is the most important thing we do. Woodrow holds the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOTC) accreditation, AAIAC Adventuremark, and we are an RLSS Accredited Training Centre, all of which are indicators of our high standards. Our instructors, swimming teachers, and lifeguards are all highly qualified and regularly undergo training and quality observation. This means you can be sure we provide the highest standard of care to all of our young visitors and are fully accredited by all the relevant regulatory bodies when it comes to delivering sessions.
We’ll work with the group leader to design a bespoke activity programme for the residential stay. A typical day starts with breakfast at 7:30am or 8:15am, followed by two morning activities, lunch at 12:30 or 1:15pm, two afternoon activities, dinner served at 5:30 or 6:15pm, and an evening activity which will finish at approximately 9pm – it’s a busy day!
How many activities will my group participate in?This will vary depending on the length of stay. For example two-nights will get up to 9 activities and 1 evening activity and three-nights includes up to 13 activities and 2 evening activities…and so on!
What do I need to bring to my residential? You can download our recommended kit list and e-brochure on our Useful downloads page.
Please send an email to hellowoodrow@londonyouth.org or use the form on our Contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Ready to start your adventure?
Your expedition kit
Download your checklist and make sure you’re all set for an unforgettable trip!